WELCOME TO MY YOGA WEBSITE. I hope to make people understand that anyone can practice yoga. It can be done from a chair. You don't have to be able to make your body into a pretzel. You don't have to be model thin. You don't have to make a lot of time for it. All you have to do is become aware of your breath, slow down from your daily life and your practice begins. Namaste.

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Thursday, April 14, 2011

I am teaching today at The Yoga Source on Wiles Rd in Coral Springs. I have to take some pictures of the studio and put them up here. It is such a wonderful peaceful place not only to teach but also to take a class. I feel as if I am able to breathe deeper just by walking in the door.

I love my 4:30 class. It is a weird time and it's not the largest class that they have at the Yoga Source but the students that come are really into it. Most of them are people who are just off work and they need to come down off the wall a little. I always make sure there is time for pranayama (breath control) even if it is just a few minutes. Pranayama helps us come in contact with our bodies and become aware of the changes in the body from moment to moment. It also allows us to slow down and really breathe deeply. I can't even think of starting a class without pranayama.

I usually start on the back but maybe I'll start in seated today. It's always good to shake things up a little. I am going to do some balance postures today. I have been neglectful with balance lately. It is not my strong suit so I tend to not do those postures but I need to be more mindful about incorporating balance postures in my classes. I'm thinking today I will do tree pose and dancers pose. I may even bring in standing stick. I'll see.

I always end my classes with by rubbing lavender essential oils in my hands and walk to each student and place my hands over their faces so that that can smell that wonderful relaxing small. I do that in my home classes as well. It always helps the students to get in the mode of letting go.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Yesterday at about 5:20 pm my cell phone rang with an unfamiliar number. I picked it up and it was Collette from the Yoga Source. She told me she had recently been in a car accident and wasn't feeling well. She then asked me if I would sub her 6:00 class. I wildly thought what kind of classes she taught when she told me that my students would be "upstairs". Upstairs is the hot yoga room. Then I realized that she was one of the hot yoga teachers. She sounded so desperate that I decided to do it. Yep, I taught my first hot yoga flow class and it was quite the unusual experience.

I introduced myself and one of the students asked me who I was and where was Collette? Sandee who is also a hot yoga flow teacher came to me before class and told me that this person might very well get up and leave and not to be upset. He was a difficult student who wanted what he wanted. I told him my name and that I was subbing this class. He said "I don't know you. Where is Sandee?" I told him that Sandee was downstairs teaching a class right now and maybe he wanted to go there. He agreed and left. It really didn't bother me even a little bit. That happened to me at Juliana's and I've already realized that if someone leaves your class it's their problem not yours. I was kind of glad that I was able to get him to go.

I started the class in seated so pranayama was short. I was already sweating my butt of after pranayama. We did some seated postures and then I brought them into downward dog. Sun salutations and then everything you could think of from there. Knees chest chin, cobra, warrior, arm sweeping just flowing from one move to another. I just kept the class moving.

About 50 minutes into the class I started having trouble. I found it difficult to breathe. I decided to slow it down and bring them into some postures to hold. We did some forward bending and then after a vinyasa I brought them down to the belly. We did locust, flying locust, cobra, bow and anything else I could think of to stay on the belly.

I brought them down to the back at about 7:10 and did some knees to chest and basic stuff. Then relaxation complete with lavander essential oils. All of the students thanked me and said that my class was exactly what they needed. That was nice to hear. I had made it through my first hot yoga flow class and I was a complete success. I am pretty damn proud of myself. :)